Gender violence study sparks debate in Brazzaville
Brazzaville—Kaani Assistance, a Congolese NGO formed by young health and legal professionals, released on 12 December its first public assessment of gender-based violence in the capital. The 40-page report, compiled during November, portrays a mounting problem that is still insufficiently captured by official statistics.
Its authors, coordinators Luce Bénédicte Gangoue and Franche Orchidée Malanda, worked with the Judicial Police, four municipal hospitals and the National Program to Combat GBV, interviewing officers, clinicians and 85 survivors. Their main finding: cases surged in 2025 compared with 2023-2024, yet reporting trails reality.
Fresh data reveal silent crisis in Congo
From January to October 2025 the team recorded 612 incidents, including 125 rapes and 57 cases of serious physical assault. Roughly two-thirds of complaints came from the northern arrondissements of Brazzaville, areas hit hard by post-pandemic economic stress and recent urban migration, the report says.
While police registers mention 357 GBV files for the same period, hospital logbooks list 781 consultations linked to intimate-partner violence. The mismatch illustrates the phenomenon’s invisibility and hampers planners who monitor Sustainable Development Goal indicator 5.2 on eliminating violence against women.
Why reporting remains painfully difficult
Survivors interviewed described layers of deterrents: stigma from relatives, fear of retaliation by partners, and costs linked to medical certificates that can exceed 10,000 FCFA. In several precincts, rape evidence kits ran out in September, forcing nurses to improvise and delaying legal proceedings.
Administrative hurdles also obstruct data collection. Different forms are used by health posts, social affairs offices and police investigators, with no electronic interface. ‘We sometimes write the same facts three times,’ Inspector Mireille Bikissa told the authors, ‘and each sheet may end in a separate drawer.’
Institutional response gains momentum
The Ministry for the Promotion of Women, backing the National Program, says a unified digital platform is under design. Pilot tests, financed by the World Bank’s SWEDD II initiative, should connect maternity wards and police stations in both Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire by mid-2026.
Deputy director Clarisse Ngouabi told this newspaper that a draft decree on data harmonisation has been validated by the Prime Minister’s office. ‘Reliable numbers guide efficient policy,’ she said, adding that President Denis Sassou Nguesso has repeatedly instructed ministries to protect women and adolescent girls.
Survivors demand holistic care
In Makélékélé hospital, psychologist Félix Ibara notes that post-trauma counselling remains underfunded. Only two therapists cover five districts. ‘The medical act ends, but the nightmares stay,’ he recalled during a round-table, urging donors to finance community centres where survivors can rebuild confidence.
Kaani Assistance highlights that kits for emergency contraception and post-exposure prophylaxis are sometimes unavailable, especially when supply boats arrive late from Pointe-Noire. The NGO recommends a buffer stock policy and dedicated budget lines in the 2026 Finance Act to secure continuous procurement.
Digital survey opens new chapter
To widen the evidence base, the organisation launched an anonymous web questionnaire on 10 December. Within 48 hours, 1,400 residents had answered, two-thirds of them men. Preliminary trends suggest greater awareness, as 78 percent of respondents consider slapping a partner to be ‘unacceptable’ compared with 62 percent in 2022.
Data will feed the national dashboard once the Ministry’s platform goes live, says Kaani’s IT manager, Armand Okemba. He argues that crowdsourcing, combined with secure helplines, can shorten response times when violence occurs and help police identify hotspots needing extra patrols or street lighting.
Looking ahead: coordination is key
The report ends with seven recommendations. Foremost is the creation of a multi-agency coordination cell chaired by the Prime Minister and including civil-society delegates. Observers note that a similar mechanism accelerated COVID-19 data sharing in 2020 and could replicate that success for GBV.
For Kaani Assistance the study is ‘a starting line rather than a finish tape’. The NGO pledges quarterly updates and outreach in schools, markets and bus stations. Its leaders believe that, with robust statistics and joint action, Congo can meet its African Union target of halving GBV by 2030.
Civil-society activist and lawyer Irène Mavouenza applauds the government’s supportive stance but warns of resource constraints. ‘Passing decrees is easier than paying counsellors,’ she said. She urges private companies in telecoms and oil to allocate corporate-social-responsibility funds, echoing calls issued in the national gender strategy adopted in 2021.
International partners have shown interest. The French Embassy’s gender attaché, Sophie Chevalier, confirmed that a two-year technical-assistance package is being discussed with Congolese authorities to train forensic nurses and deploy encrypted data tablets in rural health posts, expanding the reach beyond the capital’s perimeter.
As the 16 Days of Activism campaign closes, banners along Avenue de la Paix read ‘Statistics Save Lives.’ For many observers, the slogan rings true: only a transparent picture of violence will allow Congo’s institutions and communities to craft solutions that last.